The Great Plague
by LarenCousland
Summary: A CEDA worker makes a shocking discovery about the virus, and the military's plans to cover it up. Suddenly she finds herself in an apocalyptic nightmare alone. Will she survive with her sanity intact? Game and original characters
1. Chapter 1

**_Okay so first L4D series fanfic. Hope you all like it. PS, I do not own any of the L4D characters, however there are a few in this story of my own creation. Also, there are some factual events and things in here. I.E. Ebola really is a filo virus. I a weird and read alot of zombie books, and science books. I hope you all like it!_**

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Tiny droplets of moisture were beginning to gather on her faceplate, and she swore silently. The Savannah summer was bearing down on them indicating that the hottest portion of the day had indeed arrived. She moved around the med tent, unable to hear much over the gush of the air from the portable blower. She had come to despise the field Haz-Mat suits, but understood that they were a necessary evil. In the tent with her there were three patients, all clearly infected with the virus they had come to know as "The Green Flu". The elderly woman on the bed closest to her suddenly began to convulse. "SHIT!" she screamed, getting the attention of the other body in the Haz-Mat suit. Her Co-Worker turned and rushed over to help her. "She's choking on vomit! We have to clear an airway!" He yelled, inserting gloved fingers into her mouth to scoop out vomit. The lady bit suddenly, and he screamed.

Jennifer stared in disbelief for a moment, as the elderly woman pawed at her friend. The old lady looked ravenous, but that certainly couldn't be true… _Could it_? Snapping out of her daze she grabbed a handful of the woman's hair and pulled. She fell back into the bedside table suddenly, and realizing that she had pulled had enough to remove quite the chunk of hair from the woman's scalp. Her friend was still screaming, and she yelled for the military guardsmen that waited outside the tent. "Help! We need some fucking help in here!"

Suddenly there were three soldiers with masks on in the tent with her. They shoved her out of the way, and grabbed the old lady. One of the soldiers grabbed her head, jerking and trying to get her to let go. When she wouldn't one of the soldiers pulled out his pistol and hit the lady squarely in the forehead. The woman let go suddenly, and she watched as her friend pulled a mangled hand from her mouth. There was blood everywhere, and she stepped forward to try to help. She was shoved back again by a soldier. "She needs to be put into holding. You come with me." He said, grabbing the other CEDA worker and dragging him from the tent. "Wait! He needs medical attention you sonofabitch!" She said, calling after the soldier. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see the other asked guardsmen standing there. "Take out her iv's so that we can get her into holding," one of them ordered. She stared at them breathlessly for a second, before reaching grabbing a gauze sponge. The woman was moaning, and Jennifer could feel her elevated body heat through the thick plastic gloves of the suit. She quickly pulled the IV line from her arm, and applied a gauze pad to stop the bleeding. She turned to reach for a pressure bandage, only to be shoved out of the way for a third time. The soldiers were not waiting, and the woman was picked up and carried out of the tent forcibly. "Wait! Where are you going with her! We need a Gurney!" She called after them, and stood in disbelief as they ignored her.

She heard another groan from behind her, and turned to see another of her patients convulsing. She quickly turned, grabbing a plastic bedpan in the process, and flipped the patient (a teenage girl) onto her side. A green jet of vomit flew past the girls lips, splattering the bedpan and floor. Jennifer stood back for few seconds, her mouth ajar as the girl vomited for what seemed like hours. When she was done, the girl turned back over weakly, and fell into the regular catatonic state that the other infected were. She swallowed, feeling bile rising in the back of her throat, she shook her head. _'Get yourself together Jen, no room in this job for a weak stomach'_ She thinks her stomache lurched thickly.

Something was very wrong here, she thought, gathering up the slimy bedpan. This is no simple flu epidemic, she thinks silently, as she pours the vomit into a sealable biohazard jar. The gunk fills up five jars, and she stands amazed again. Screwing the lids on and slapping on some red bio tape, she transports them to a portable cooling unit where other specimens are stored.

Someone was tapping her on the shoulder, and she turns bewildered to see Cain standing there before her. She exhaled sharply, her heart seeming to have gravitated to her throat instead of her chest cavity. He shot her a grin, and then looked around. There was still blood on the bed that the older woman had occupied. "What happened?" He yelled at her over the hum of his suit. She threw her hands up in the air, a gesture that told him 'Long Story'. He was about to ask for more details when another CEDA worker walked in. The small Asian woman pointed to Jen, and then hiked a thumb at the tents entrance. 'Relief' is what that meant. Jen nodded and opened the cool unit again, retrieving the bile samples she had just stored there. She gave the other's one last glance before leaving the tent. Cain was taking the temperature of the teen girl, and he looked up at her as she left. He made a motion of shoveling food into his mouth, and she rolled her eyes. That man was _still_ hitting on her, even at a time like this. She glowered at him, and turned quickly.

The Savannah sunlight nearly blinded her as she carried the samples to the mobile testing facility. All she knew was she could not wait to get out of this fucking suit. Looking over to the front of the base they had set up, she was surprised to see the amount of traffic parked outside. People were scared, on top of being sick, and so they were flocking to them like moths to the flame. She felt bad for them; she knew that there was no way that they could help all of them. Already they were talking of sending them to other places, to some of the other bases that had begun popping up all over Georgia.

She reached the mobile lab. It had a glass door in the front for specimens only. When you inserted the containers and shit the door, the specimens would undergo intense UV lights as well as a shower in a green Enviro-Chem solution. They got the same chemical shower when they came in from the field, to disinfect their suits. She stepped into the shower units that were set up outside, entering the plastic bubble that was supposedly airtight. Pulling the chain, she waited for the five minute chemical shower to finish. Again, she had the sinking feeling that something just wasn't right here.

After the shower was finished, she followed the plastic bubble to the suit storage chamber. You would be amazed just how quickly your world could be transformed into a blue plastic bubble, and just how claustrophobic you can get in one. She skimmed off the suit and hung it on its hook. Her green hospital scrubs were soaked with her perspiration, and she longed for a real shower desperately. CEDA had booked the entire Comfort Inn, though they only got to see it long enough to fall into an exhausted sleep to wake three or four hours later. Straightening her black hair into a tight ponytail, she pulled open the door of the mobile unit.

It was silent as the dead inside the portable, and she was almost thankful to be alone. She shut the door tightly behind her, which switched off the portable's UV light in the entrance way. She walked over to the specimen box after she put on a blue lab coat, gloves, and anti-viral mask. She pulled the vomit out of the specimen containment, and took it to the nearest workstation. She popped open one of the bile containers, and extracted some using a dropper. She spread the green fluid on a glass slide, and slid it into microscope. Next she filled a plastic capillary tube with it and placed it into a mini centrifuge. She spun the fluid, and removed it when the machine beeped. She placed this capillary tube into another machine that measured the vomit for substances. She was glancing into the microscope and noting the appearance of the virus. It was shaped like shepherds crooks, and this made her gasp aloud.

Viruses that are shaped as such were called filo viruses, and are considered most lethal viruses known to man. The last filo virus discovered was named Ebola, a virus so strong that they had dubbed it humanity's "Slate Cleaner". It had a lethality of 90% or greater, and its sister Marburg had a lethality rate of 70% or greater. She swallowed a lump. _Did HQ know this was a filo virus?_ She suddenly felt very exposed in the thin lab gear. Suddenly there was another beep, and she just about jumped out of her skin. The computer was downloading the results to indicate substances in the bile. She hoped that it could tell her if this woman had ingested something infected and become sick that way. The results were strange however; it found no traceable substances except one, human pheromones. She furrowed her brow in confusion when suddenly two arms grabbed her from behind.


	2. Chapter 2

_**LOTS OF PROFANITY!!!**_ Yu have been Warned ;)

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She screamed suddenly as the arms wrapped themselves around her. They quickly released her and she whirled around to see a man doubled over behind her. It took a moment for the pounding of her heart to subside for her to hear the laughter that was bubbling out of him. "JACK!" She said angrily, watching as Jack stood up all the way with a face red from laughter. She was suddenly so angry she could throw one of the jars of bile straight into his face. Suddenly she realized that she was wearing full protective gear and he wasn't. "Shit! Jack put that on now!" She said motioning one of the protective masks. He looked at her strangely for a moment. "I said NOW damnit!"

He walked over, grabbed a mask, and slid it over his mouth. She sighed a little, turning back to the specimen. She quickly recapped it and sealed it with biotape. "Ugh, I don't know how you guys wear these things all the time." Jack said, motioning to the antiviral mask on his face. She was breathing heavily, her hands shaking as she stuck the containers into another red biocontainer. She sealed that container with tape as well, and then stuck it into the mobile fridge. "What the hell are you doing in here?" She asked him, spinning to look at him with a furious expression on her face. His smile fell slightly, and he regarded her with apologetic eyes. "Uh… The big guy told me to move it. I can't believe you didn't hear me come in, it's not like that door is exactly quiet."

She let her breath out slowly, "I was distracted…." She said looking to the equipment strewn about. "Uhm, I need you to go tell the big guy that you can't move us yet. I have to make a few phone calls and clean up." He nodded, the kind smile returning to his face. "Okay, but if he shoots me I am going to turn into a zombie and come back to eat your brain." She let out a small chuckle, and motioned for him to leave with one gloved hand. As soon as he was gone, she used snapped some quick shots of the virus from her computer and attached them to an email which she quickly sent back to the Atlanta headquarters. Grabbing up the phone then, she quickly dialed the lab in Atlanta.

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_"CEDA Lab this is Bill-"_

_"BILL! It's Jennifer Roberts, lab Tech ID 60479. I am out at base 3, Savannah and I just stumbled on to one big bastard of a problem. Please tell me June is still there."_

_"Deborah June? I think she has left-"_

_"If she has left, or if she is avoiding me I need you to conference her in with me. NOW."_

_"Look she said she didn't want to-"_

_"Look if you fucking value your life, you will put her through NOW! I am not kidding. I have a level 4 agent here with a unknown lethality rate and believe me when I say if you don't get her on the fucking phone heads are going to roll! And I won't have a damn thing to do with it."_

_"Okay… Hold on."_

_*Ring, ring*_

_"CEDA, Deborah June speak-"_

_"DEB! Holy shit, I am so freaking out right now."_

_"Jen? Fuck I thought I told them I didn't want to be-"_

_"Deb, shut the fuck up and listen to me. I just sent you an email of a virus from a Green Flu vic. Load it now…"_

_"Jeez, you know you can be really fucking pushy-"_

_"Deb just stops talking and do it."_

_"I am! I am! I am turning the computer on now-"_

_"Holy shit I am shaking so bad. Just turn it on already."_

_"I am moving as fast as I can Jen."_

_"No the fuck you aren't!"_

_"Okay, it's up… Wow good pictures, where did you snag them?"_

_"I told you already, from a Green Flu vic-"_

_"I can see that. So you called here, bullied your way to my line, just to show me something I have already seen?"_

_"Deb, look at it. The loops and swirls! It looks like a fucking FILO!"_

_"Jen, calm down. I have been in this trade now for fifteen years, I have seen a real filo before. This does not look anything like it."_

_"Bullshit Deb! I've seen some of the Ebola slides, this bitch could be its fucking sister-"_

_"Jennifer if you do not calm down… I will send these off to the level 4 group, but I am telling you it looks nothing like a Filo!"_

_"Deb, what do I do? I've been handling this shit all day-"_

_"You'll be fine! It's not a Filo! You are just overreacting! Look, you've been out there in the hot sun for the last three days for almost sixteen hours a day! You're getting bubble fever. Why don't you take today and tomorrow off and relax."_

_"Deb I could be-"_

_"Jen, if you don't take the day off I'll pull you off the project. Now get your shit and get out of there pronto."_

_"But Deb!" *silence* "DEB! GODAMNIT IT!"_

_"If you would like to make a call please hang up and try again…"_

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She slammed the phone down back into its cradle. "FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!" she says repeatedly slamming it into the cradle as if to make her point to some unseen person. She heard a chuckle from behind her, and whirled around to face the voice "JACK! I thought I told you it wasn't fucking FUN-" She stopped abruptly to see that it was not Jack but Cain standing there. He winked at her, and sauntered over to where she was. "You know, you are so sexy when you're angry." She turned red in the face, her mouth opening and closing as if to say something witty but unable to find the words. She was too angry right now to say anything other than a stream of colorful obscenities. Suddenly the door opened and in walked Jack. "Hey Jen? You done yet? That guy is getting awful impatient" She turned to the equipment and began cleaning it up with shaken hands.

"Hey let me do that, you look like you need a smoke." Cain said to her. He was right, she was shaking so badly she could barely stand without throwing something. "Fine, thanks." He smiled, and as she was walking out he said over his shoulder. "Now you owe me a drink." She scowled and furiously removed her lab gear and slammed the portable's door shut.

She began walking in the direction of the shuttles, her eyes fluttering nervously to the line of sick people lining up at the gate. "Jen! Wait up!" she heard Jack say from behind her. She turned to him, tapping her foot impatiently. "WHAT?" He stopped quickly and looked at her nervously. "Are you okay?" She sighed, itching for a shower. "Yeah I am just gravy, I just got a three day breather!" "What? Okay wait up alright I just gotta move this thing-"

"Jack, I still have to change into my clothes so take all the time you need." She said, suddenly feeling very tired. "Okay cool, so I'll park this bad boy and meet you at the shuttles? You wanna grab a bite to eat?" Her shoulders slumped in mild irritation, but she looked at him with kind eyes. She had always kind of liked Jack, but knew he had secret feelings for her. What was with these men? "Alright, fine. But I want Pizza and you are buying." He grinned happily and padded off towards the mobile unit again. She sighed heavily, turning to walk to the makeshift locker area that had been set up. Men…


	3. Chapter 3

She used the card key to open up her room, noting the odd silence in the hall. Jack stood behind her, a pizza and a six pack in his hands. She opened the door, and stepped in quickly motioning for him to hurry up. He stepped in after her, and kicked the door shut behind him. "Where do you want this?" He asked her, and she pointed to the table. Suddenly she didn't feel so much like hanging out, and she contemplated asking him to grab the pizza and leave. Now that is just rude Jen, she told herself. She sighed and looked over to her suitcase. "I really need a shower, do you mind?" He smiled at her and waved a hand in front of his nose. "You are not kidding, I can smell you all the way over here!"

Jen shot him an angry look as she picked up the pillow from her unmade bed and threw it at him. He fell into a fit of giggles as she grabbed a handful of clothing and walked moodily from the room. She locked herself in the bathroom, and quickly stripped. Stepping under the hot jet of water, she let out a pleasant moan as it penetrated her tired muscles. She heard a laugh from the other room and grumbled to herself. Grabbing the soap and shampoo, she quickly scrubbed away the days sweat and grime.

She made her shower quick, and dried off far too quickly. After her jeans and shirt were donned, her hair was so wet still that it immediately soaked her shirt. She grumbled again, and threw a towel around her shoulders before stepping out into the room. Jack was fumbling with the remote, and he glanced up at her for a second. "Wouldya look at this? It's all the emergency broadcast message." She covered her ears and winced, "Just turn it off then, sheesh."

Shrugging, Jack clicked the power button on the remote and tossed it onto the bed. "So what happened?" Jen sighed, walking to the table and grabbing the six pack. She wrenched one of the beers off the ring, tossing it to Jack, and then wrenched another for herself. The popped the top, and threw her head back taking a long chug. He smiled at her, watching her gulp down the beer, and popped the top on his own. After taking several long swallows, she set the beer back down and hiccupped. She couldn't talk to him about the virus, federal law negated her ability to speak about any patient freely. Sighing, she picked up her beer and took another set of log swallows.

"Whoa! Slow down there girl! You're gonna get trashed! I can't seduce a lady who is trashed!" He joked, which made her spit her beer out in a laugh. "Oh please! Like I would ever let you seduce me Jack." He feigned a hurt look, but she thought she had seen a pang of actual disappointment in his eyes. "And why not? Am I just to dumb a shlupp for you?"

Jen giggled at him, shaking her head as she reached for a slice of the sausage and mushroom pizza. "No, it's because your name is Jack. Can you just hear the comments? Jack and Jen… So yuppie." He sighed then, and gave her a strange look. "You wouldn't give a guy the time of day because of a name? Good grief!"

Jen shrugged her shoulders at him. "I guess it really all depends on the guy…" Jack shook his head, biting his tongue for a few moments for obvious reasons. "I mean, no offense to you, but I kind of like the dumb shlupps. When I was in college I was surrounded by men trying to impress me with their brains. It got very old." She took a bite of the pizza and chewed slowly. "So, are you ever going to tell me what happened today?" Jen swallowed, and contemplated telling him. "I yelled at my boss, and she told me to go home for a few days." Jack shook his head at her, he was sure there was more to the story than she was letting on, but chose not to pry.

She pointed to the TV, chewing another bite of pizza. "So, any idea on what to do since the TV has taken a sabbatical?" She asked him. He pulled a deck of cards out of his back pocket. "Texas Hold'em?" Jen chewed with a quizzical look on her face. "I have no idea how to play Texas Hold'em" she said to him apologetically. He smiled, a devious expression painted on his face, "Well I guess it's time to learn." She shrugged, and then pondered it for a moment. "Don't you have to have chips?" He shook his head, a grin still planted on his lips.

She thought she was doing well at first, but then she got cocky. After winning a few hands, they decided to play for money, and she had ended up losing every last nickel in her purse to him. Throwing her cards down angrily, she glowered at him. "Okay, I lose. I have nothing left to bet." He scratched his chin while giving her a smile. "What?" She asked, raising one brow in question. "Okay, we'll play one more hand. If you win, I'll give you all your money back. If I win…" he said trailing off.

She couldn't help but smile at him, she knew where this was going. Her eyes surveyed Jack, making a mental list of Pro's and Con's. She didn't think him to bad looking, she thought her eyes travelling over his face. Truth be told, she had always thought he was a really nice guy. He was kind to her when they were working, and had been a good friend for several years. She couldn't help but smirk at him, and his well thought out plan. He was indeed clever. Her eyes travelled to his heavily tattooed arms, at the silly cartoon characters that he had there. It was just a kiss right, no harm?

"Fine. But if I win I get all of your money too." She said defiantly, handing over her cards. "Deal them. I'm going to stomp your ass."

He laid down his cards revealing a pair of Jacks. She stared forlornly at her pair of three's, and then narrowed her eyes at him. "You cheated."

He laughed aloud, "Cheated? Please! Just admit you suck at poker." She scowled at him, and then looked quickly at her hands. She lost. Big time. Now she would admittedly have to pay up. She glanced up at him to see him practically a-glow with anticipation. "Oh, get over yourself." She snapped, "You totally had this planned all along." Jack simply shrugged at her. She stood quickly and walked over to him. As fast as she could she planted a quick kiss on his cheek, before standing and looking down at him triumphantly. He frowned at her, "Hey! That doesn't count."

She giggled at his reaction, and rolled her eyes sarcastically. "You never said what kind of kiss you wanted, or where for that matter. So you got your kiss, big whoop." He grumbled to himself, and she had to pinch herself to keep from laughing to hard. "Oh fine, you big wuss. What kind of kiss do you want?"

He stuttered a few lines, before she just rolled her eyes at him. She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to a standing position. He stood close to her, and she smelled the pleasant scent of his cologne. She looked up into his blue eyes, finding them warm and hopeful. She smiled at him, and closed her eyes. Blindly she met his lips finding them slightly chapped. The kiss was soft and pleasant. She pulled away from him after a moment, and smiled. "There, I paid up." He smiled and found himself wrapping his hand around her back to bring her close again. "Nah, I didn't say you were finished yet. " He said, bending down to kiss her again. The kiss was a little more forceful this time, but she welcomed it. They were locked in that kiss for several minutes before Jack pulled away. He took a step back, exhaling slightly. He suddenly realized how tired she looked, and sighed. "I think I'll take that as my cue to leave." She looked around her empty room, and frowned. She quickly grabbed his hand, turning him back to see her. "I don't want to give you the wrong idea… But will you just, uhm…" Her mind floats to the virus, and she swallows hard. "Just stay for a little while?" He nodded happily, and walked with her to the bed. She lay down next to him, laying her head on his chest while he wrapped one arm around her. With his free hand he seized the remote and turned on the TV. Her eyes widened as she noticed there actually was service, and she raised her head to glower at him.

"That was a part of your plan all along?" He just laughed and kissed her again. She lie back down and quickly fell to sleep in his arms.

There was a large crash, and suddenly the building was rocked with a tremor. Jen sat up quickly, as did Jack. She looked at him surprised for a second, realizing that he had fallen asleep in her room with her. She heard a scream from outside her door, and then suddenly a frantic knocking. "What the hell?" She said, standing up quickly and searching for her shoes.


	4. Chapter 4

The banging continued, the knocking growing more frantic with every second. She turned in a circle, looking for her shoes. Suddenly there was screaming! Her head snapped up and she ran to the door throwing it open. Cain was on the floor, and there was a woman on top of him. He was screaming, trying to fight her off. Jen blinked, assured this was some kind of crazy dream she was having, when suddenly the woman sank her teeth into Cain's arm. He screamed in pain, batting at the woman with his free arm. Jen looked to her left, and saw a fire extinguisher mounted to the wall. She ran to it, wrenching it off the wall. Jack had peeked his head out the door just in time to watch the woman rip a chunk of flesh from Cain's arm. Quickly she sprinted back to Cain, and her movement caught the woman's attention. Jen noticed for the first time it was the petite Asian CEDA worker. She stopped for a second, realizing that the woman's eyes have gone this sickly white color. "Shit…" She said, as the woman got to her feet and ran at Jen. Without thinking, she swung the fire extinguisher. The base of the metal made contact with the woman's skull. She felt the sickening crunch of the bone shattering, and the woman suddenly fell face first at her feet.

Jen jumped back, her hands shaking furiously. She glanced at Cain, who was scrambling to his feet, bleeding arm in his hands. It all seemed completely surrealistic, as if she had just woken up from a bad dream. Hearing another scream, she turned her head to the hall where someone had thrown open their own door running. She watched in horror as this person was taken down by a large man with the same glinting white eyes as her fallen co-worker. She quickly grabbed Cain by his shoulders, and pushed him through the door, stepping in and shutting it behind her.

Jack stripped the blanket from the bed, kneeling next to Cain and wrapping the blanket around his bleeding arm. "Hey man, you okay?" He says to the wounded one, applying pressure to try to stop the bleeding. Jen slid the lock home on the door, and turned with her back to it. She stared at Cain, and at Jack, but all she could do was remember the sickening crunch of fire extinguisher meeting skull. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a gag. She turned quickly, sprinting through the door of the adjoining bathroom and slamming the door behind her. The sounds of her stomach heaving up all her pizza and beer soon emit from the bathroom.

Jack held Cain's arm tight, though he kept his eye on the bathroom door. He can hear small sounds from the bathroom, choked tears. He swallowed hard, turning his attention to the man on the floor again. "You sure you're okay?"

"Bitch bit me!" Cain exclaimed, holding down the pressure on the wound himself. "She fucking bit me!" Jack shook his head, still finding the whole situation very hard to believe. He swallowed hard, watching as the wound begins to bleed through the wrapped around Cain's arm. "Hey, keep pressure on it. I gotta find something to stop the bleeding…" It was the truth, but it was also a way to get into the bathroom to make sure Jen was okay. He walked to the bathroom door and knocked very gently. The choked sobs stop, and she weakly answers him. "Is there a First Aid Kit in there?" He asks through the closed door.

She tried to answer, but she still remembers the feeling of the woman's skull breaking, and gags again. 'Get yourself together…' she thinks, resisting the urge to vomit again. Jack opened the door, peeking through it first to see if she was okay. Her head was in her hands, but he could see her trembling. "Hey, hey hey." He said softly, opening the door and walking into the bathroom. He dropped to his knees next in front of her, gently taking her hands and pulling them away from her face. "Hey angel it's okay. It's okay…" he repeats as she throws herself into his arms. He holds her, feeling her body trembling with fear and the sobs that are escaping her. "What did I do? What did I do?" she keeps repeating, and he rocks her gently. After a spell her sobs taper off, but he still holds her gently stroking her hair.

Jen sat up suddenly, looking at Jack with wide eyes. "Shit! Is Cain okay?" She said, getting up and running out into the room. Jack remembered the first aid kit and opened the cabinet underneath the sink. Suddenly there was a large thud, and a crash from the other room. He stood quickly and ran out to see what was going on. Cain had Jen pinned against the floor, moaning and growling at her. She screamed, pushing his face away while trying to get her legs at the right angle to kick him off of her. Cain was snapping at her like some kind of hungry rabid dog. Jack walked forward, and put his hands on either side of Cain's chin. With a quick twisting motion, he snapped Cain's neck. The man fell backwards, but was amazingly enough still moving. With wild eyes, Jack grabbed a hold of a corner of the TV, causing it to fall off the dresser. Jen looked away as the TV fell forward crushing the man's skull.

"What the fuck!" Jack exclaimed, this time it was his turn to be shocked. Jen is suddenly checking her arms and fingers frantically. "Did he bite me? I think he bit me! Oh my God! Oh my fucking god! Y-you killed Cain! I killed Ling! What the fuck-"

Jack doesn't have the time to stay in his state of shock, he rushed forward again to grab Jen. "Angel snap out of it, come on! Calm down!" He says sternly, talking her out of her shock with a gentle but firm voice. She is suddenly hyperventilating, and he grabbed her face. "Watch. Watch me breath. Slowly now come on… That-a girl. Calm down. Deep breaths…"

After a few moments, Jen has come back to her senses slightly. She looks around the room, and then to her arms and hands again. She wasn't bitten and she exhaled so suddenly, it made Jack jump. He looked at Jen, his eyes suddenly serious. "Jen, baby what the hell is going on?" He asked, wincing at the sound of screams outside of their room. Jen shook her head, her expression as bewildered as his own. "I don't know…" she whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Another thud against the door to their room, which made them both jump with fright. Jen shudders as a growl emits from the door. She swallows, looking at Jack with frightened eyes. "Oh my god…" She said weakly. Jack looks around, and spied his shoes. He quickly stood, carefully maneuvering through broken TV screen glass. He sat on the bed, pulling on his shoes quickly. Suddenly there is a sound like fists pounding on the door. Jen eyed the door again, then looking at Jack who was grabbing her shoes. "Come on, I don't think it's safe to stay here." He said as he gently tossed her shoes to her. His eyes quickly scanned the room, as if he is trying to find something he could use for protection. He spies a wooden umbrella stand that was overturned when Cain attacked Jen. He quickly walked to it, placing one foot on it forcefully and hearing the cracking of wood as it broke under his foot.

She pulled on her shoes, wincing as the sound of fists grew louder. Obviously there was more than one pair of fists pounding at the door now. She can see the door vibrating with each blow, and quickly pulls her shoes on. The overturned table has spewed her purse and playing cards all over the floor. She sees her cellphone laying on the ground and snatched it up. Thrusting it into her pocket, she stands as Jack walked back to meet her. The door is starting to groan under the weight of fists, threatening to break open and spill the assailants into the room. Holding the broken umbrella stand like a cudgel, Jack grabs her hand for a second. They both look to the sliding glass door, and quickly move for it. Sliding it open as quietly as possible, Jack peeks around outside first to make sure that no one was outside. Seeing the coast clear for now, he pulls her outside.

Still clutching onto her hand, Jack pulls her over to the short wall that separated the motel from the sidewalk. A scream is heard from behind them, as well as the sound of breaking glass. Jen jumps at the sound, her breath hitching as she got ready to scream. Jack turned around quickly, planting a kiss on her lips. Jen jumped a little at this quick kiss, her brow furrowing with surprise at his action. 'Of all the times…' she thought heatedly as Jack quickly pulled away, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "We need to stay calm. If we panic we could be in trouble."

She nodded then, swallowing hard and trying to control her shaking. Another scream from behind them, and he pulls her along. As quietly as possible they jog in the night, eyes and ears alert. The body of a woman lay across the sidewalk, a pool of blood around her. Her face was covered in gouges, and a bloody rock lay nearby. Jen swallowed hard as they tried to step over her, the treads of their tennis shoes leaving a bloody trail.

They come to the convenience store where they had bought the pizza and beer, and are surprised to find the light still on. The store interior looked calm, and Jen sighed thankfully. As Jack reached for the door, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Someone was stumbling toward them, and he raised the makeshift weapon defensively.

"Help! Help me please…" The figure stumbling ahead of them pleaded. Jack rushed forward to catch the person, who nearly fell over trying to get to them. It was a woman in her mid-twenties; her shirt was soaked with sweat. "Hey, hey you are going to be okay." Jack said kindly, helping her stand. "They took her, they took my baby..." the woman said weakly as she limped toward the convenience store door with Jack's assistance. Jen couldn't help but feel uneasy at the presence of the new woman, but followed them. As soon as they were inside, Jen quickly turned the bolt on the glass door. She turned then, her eyes travelling over the woman. Splotches covered most of the woman's visible skin, and Jen could tell that she was feverish.

The convenience store was quiet, to quiet. Jen glanced around the store nervously. "Hello?" Jack asked, helping the woman to the floor. When they had glanced through the window, the store had looked untouched. But now that they were in the store, it was not the case. The cold case was open, the glass on it shattered and streaked with blood. The cash register was knocked onto the floor, change and bills where laying everywhere. "Jack…" Jen said softly, pointing to the open doors that lead to the kitchen area. Bloody hand prints, as well as a bloody trail, led into there. Jack looked at the sick woman, and then to Jen. "Stay with her, I am going to go see if it is safe."

With the umbrella stand in hand, Jack quietly walked into the kitchen. There was a smell of something burning, and he walked to the oven. Inside was a pizza burned so crispy it resembled a black Frisbee. He turned the oven off, but left it closed. He heard a low groan, his eyes snapped to the walk in cooler. The door was open, and he could hear these wet sucking sounds coming from it. Slowly, he walked toward the door. He poked his head around it, to find the store clerk they had purchased food from a short time earlier on the floor and very clearly dead. Standing next to him was a woman so grossly swollen he thought at first she was just really obese. The woman turned to face him slowly, her torn shirt covered in vomit, and he saw her eyes were the same white that the other people's where. The woman made a movement like she was going run at him, and he quickly ran the end of the umbrella stand into her eye.

She fell to the ground, bile pouring out of her mouth. The stench was horrible, and Jack's stomach gave a sickly lurch. He staggered back, grasping the door and slamming it shut. The walk in latched, and he sighed. The rear exit was open, and he quickly shut it and locked it. He returned to the front of the store, where Jen was tending to the woman. A first aid kit lay next to her on the floor, and Jen had pulled on a pair of latex gloves. She was examining the woman, noticing the same telltale signs of the Green Flu she had seen for the last 48 hours. The woman lie on the floor, and appeared to be dozing. Jack saw the look of worry on Jen's face, and then down at the woman. Her skin had started to go a sickly grey color, and he could see black shadows under her eyes.

Jen stood, snapping off her gloves and motioning for him to join her. The she walked to the kitchen area and turned on the tap, grabbing the soap and scrubbing her hands furiously. "She's got the flu." Jen said, as she scrubbed her hands. Jack nodded, and eyed Jen. Since the Green Flu had made itself known the rate of deaths had been exponential, and though his job was merely driving the mobile units and maintenance, he didn't have to ask her to know it is bad. "Does this mean we are going to get sick?" He asked, feeling an uneasy feeling rise up from the pit of his stomach.

"Probably." Jen said, matter-of-factly. She looked at him with sad eyes, as she rinsed her hands. "The Flu has a communicability rate that is very high I think. We didn't have a lot of time to perform tests before it became an epidemic. But it spread like wildfire."

Jack nodded gravely, his extremities going numb with the news. "How long before we get sick?" He asked, his eyes searching her for any sign of hope. There was none, Jen knew what the virus had looked like in the microscope. A filo… She was certain of it. She suddenly felt lied to, as if Deb had told her a lie about the virus. Something just seemed very off about it, and she thought… No she knew it was a filo virus. It explained the way the military was handling those infected, socking them into a holding area. She thought of the co-worker that had been bitten, and of Cain… Did the Flu have something to do with the strange behavior they had been witnessing? She turned to look at Jack and jumped suddenly seeing the sick woman standing behind him. She opened her mouth to say something when the woman screamed and ran at them. Jack jumped out of the way, pulling Jen with him and the woman clumsily stumbled past them, crashing into the oven. She smiled weakly, "Twelve hours, give or take. That is if we didn't get infected at the base."

Jen quickly grabbed a heavy frying pan from the sink, and ran over to the woman who was already turning to face the. She was growling like a rabid dog, and Jen stepped forward swinging the pan at her face. The pan connected with the woman's face and made a sickening clanging sound. The woman crumpled to the floor and Jen swung the pan downward. A sickly crack resonated the kitchen and she dropped the pan on top of the woman's still body. Jack grabbed her then, pulling her from the kitchen. They both spun around to see a few people running past the convenience store. "Shit, is no place safe?" Jen asked, backing into the Kitchen again.

They shut the kitchen door, looking around the room. It was dark out, and venturing out this late would ultimately mean their death. They didn't even know if they would be well come morning anyway. Jen spied the walk in pantry, noting that it had a heavy steel door. "Come on" She said pointing to it. Once inside they locked the door behind them. Jack quickly sank to the floor, his head in his hands. Jen surveyed the area, spying a palette of beer that was neatly stacked in the corner. She pulled two free, walking back over to Jack and handing him one. She opened the beer then, and chugged it quickly. He raised an eyebrow at her, as she drank. "I don't think this is really the time…" he said as she finished off the beer, and set the bottle down on a shelf. She blinked at him, and shrugged as she walked back to the open case of beer. She grabbed another two, and walked back over to where he sat.

"Jack, chances are by the time morning comes either we are both going to be too sick to care. If we have the Flu, we are toast. And if that's the case, I want to die with a buzz." She opened another bottle and began drinking. Jack considered this logic, opening the beer she had handed to him. He looked up at her with curious eyes. "I don't want to die buzzed."

"No?" She asked, putting the beer down. "How do you want to die then?"

A smirk played on his lips, and he considered just keeping quiet. "Well… I uh…"

Jen smiled, walking over to where he sat. She straddled him, and he put his hands on the small of her back instinctively. She leaned in and kissed him hungrily, the kiss tasting of the warm beer she had just been drinking. She parted her lips, kissing him with a slightly open mouth. He pulled back in surprise, looking at her with wild eyes. "You know, I have been dreaming about this for a really long time, but not quite like this…" he said, dropping his eyes. He was a gentleman, and she shook her head.

She quickly stripped off her shirt in one fluid movement, watching the shock replace the disappointment on his face. "Shut up." She said playfully, tugging at his shirt then and stripping it off to. He smiled at her nervously, and placed his hands on the bare flesh of her back. At least if he died, he would die happy.


	6. Chapter 6

Her head hurt, throbbing loudly in protest as she was pulled from REM sleep and into consciousness. He blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim light coming through the crack under the door. There was a banging in the kitchen adjacent to this pantry, and every bang reverberated off of the inner walls of her skull threatening to burst and spill gray matter on every wall. Her back hurt then, and she realized she was sleeping on a cold concrete floor. Confusion clouded her mind, as she fought to recall the night's events that ended with carnage and mass consumption of beer. She sat up, noticing Jack asleep next to her wearing nothing but a pair of Scooby-doo boxer shorts. Looking down at herself, she blushed slightly to find herself in her bra and panties. The night's events really came back to her then, and she glanced at her watch quickly. It was 10:45 am, and that meant that they had passed the allotted tie in which a Green Flu vic has fallen ill.

'We're alive', she thought to herself, grabbing her shirt and pulling it over her head. Donning her pants, socks, and shoes; her mind flitted to the nights events. She felt a slight pang of regret at the thoughts of Cain and Ling, as well as the unknown person. Surely her mind had made all of that up? Yet, here she was in the pantry of a convenience store, unhappily hung-over and sore in places from the long night of 'We-are-gonna-die-so-might-as-well-get-busy' sex. She blushed at the recollection of the night's progression, and quickly flinched as she heard the banging again.

Jack woke this time, his eyes bloodshot from being torn from a heavy sleep. He looked up at her, saw her dressed and then glanced around the room as if in disbelief. The banging started again, and he quickly got to his feet. Jen grabbed the biggest can of pizza sauce she saw in the pantry, as the door handle began to jiggle. "It's locked!" said a voice. She shot a quick glance to Jack before another was heard.

"Stand back!" followed by the cocking of a shot gun. Jack grabbed her and pulled her to the ground as a shotgun blast hit the door full on. Jen screamed as the blast rang in her ears.

Her ears rang dreadfully from the blast, and she quickly turned over as someone opened the door. They suddenly found themselves looking down the barrel of a Browning 9mm pistol. "Hey, we got a live one in here!" Suddenly the gun was lowered and she exhaled sharply in relief, her legs feeling rubbery as they threatened to spill her to the floor.

"Are you bitten? Do you feel sick?" the man before her asked, his eyes cold and unnerving. She glanced at his gun before she answered, realizing it was still cocked.

"No, we are not sick or bitten." Not seeming satisfied with her hesitation, he gave them a glancing over. Not seeing signs of illness or mauling, he turned then and left the room. She glanced at Jack who seemed as equally confused as she was. She followed the man out of the pantry, and her eyes darted to the people standing there. There were three of the, all of them garbed in black uniforms donned with a radio and guns. Police, she thought, feeling safe suddenly.

"What is going on?" She asked, her eyes searching the three officers for a sign.

"Have either of you come into contact with anyone who is sick?"

"Well, yes. My name is Dr. Jennifer Roberts, and I work for the CEDA. I was at our quarantine zone yesterday. This is Jack Larson; he is one of our mechanics. We both have come into contact with numerous people infected with the Green Flu. But neither of us is sick."

The officers looked them over again, as if searching them for signs of infection once more. Jen rolled her eyes, and shook her head. "We are not sick; the first contact I had with an infected was over forty eight hours ago. I have passed any incubation frame for this virus, and I am not sick. Now can you please tell us what the fuck is going on around here?"

The officers all gave her a look as if she had sprouted a really ugly second head. "Well, maybe you would like to tell us." She looked to the officer who spoke, a graying man in his middle ages.

"What the… What the hell do you mean me tell you?" The officer opened his mouth to say something else when the blonde grabbed his arm.

"They said round them up and bring them to the Quarantine Zone, Hank. That's what we need to do." The elder officer, Hank, glared at Jen and then grabbed her forcefully by the arm.

"Get your fucking hands off me!"

He shoved her out of the entrance, and into the street. Jack followed them willingly, and was quickly at her side when she stumbled from the officer's shove. They both stared in awe noticing that roadblocks had been erected this morning, and that the streets were heavy with armed guards. Jen swallowed, and looked to Jack. He grabbed her hand as if to tell her it would be okay, and they walked forward towards the quarantine zone.


	7. Chapter 7

Tight, he realized she was squeezing his hand far too tightly. The look on her face was pinched and nervous, but he still found her pretty. He was surprised that she had still allowed him to hold her hand as they made their way through the Savannah streets, certain that the intimacy they had shared the night before was just a heat of the moment fling. Something that they did because the situation looked grim and they wanted to die happy… But here he was, walking with her hand in hand down a street full of men with really big guns…

They were in full Kevlar, and he did not envy them one bit. He had served a brief time in Desert Storm, and remembered clearly the feel of the scorching sun upon him in the heavy gear. Not to mention how tired one's arm gets after clutching an automatic for extended periods of time…

He glanced at her again, and noticed that her gaze had turned to a group of people ahead. There were three or four people gathered around a convulsing woman on the ground, hands trying to help her somehow. Suddenly a guard came over, pointing his gun at each of them. "Move along…" the guard said firmly, and the stragglers took a few steps back. Jen turned her head to watch for a moment, stopping momentarily as the guard signaled other arms men and they began to drag off the sick woman. Jack tugged at her hand, and when she turned to protest him his eyes told her that it was best to shut up and let it go.

They had been walking for a while, now just a few blocks away from the quarantine zone. He had been noticing things that just seemed off… like bloody handprints on buildings. The sight unnerved him, especially when he spied slugs buried in walls, or bullet holes in concrete.

"This is weird." Jen said quietly.

"Very." He answered, looking at her as she studied what appeared to be a trail of black on the sidewalk.

"I do not know what happened last night, everything seems so…"

"Surreal?" He finished, noticing the black trail led off past the roadblocks.

"Exactly. That really happened right? I mean it had to have, or we wouldn't have woken up in a fucking pantry. "

"Yeah…"

"But…. Cain?" she asked and he glanced at her. She seemed on the edge of tears, her blue eyes glistening brightly as the threatened to spill them down her cheeks.

"He attacked us…" Jack said, more to himself than her. "He was trying to hurt you."

She merely nodded, tears sliding hotly down her cheek. She could not believe what had happened, and still felt the reverberation of skull meeting fire extinguisher. She wiped her free hand on her jeans as if to rid her skin of something vile. The sight of piled up traffic was becoming more apparent as they neared the q-zone, and she shuddered slightly.

"Do you think…." She started, trailing off as if she didn't want to ask. He looked at her with a questioning, and she sighed. "Do you think we are going to be in trouble because of that?"

Looking to one of the Army's riflemen to his right, he shook his head. "No, I don't. I think we just stepped into a shit storm."

The Q-zone was a flood of people; they were getting separated into groups by people in Haz-Mat suits. Jen's mouth was open to form an O when they came up on it. She gazed at the group of people, and realized that they were being separated. The sick were being taken into the tented areas while those who were not appearing sick as yet were being examined. She noticed that they had turned a nearby building, a warehouse of some sorts, into a makeshift hospital by the way the sick were being led to there by some more corpsmen.

She stepped forward, pushing her way past the people in the crowd with Jack in tow, to the front where there stood a CEDA member. "Charlie!" Jen said loudly, waving her hand at him to get his attention. The man squinted at her, and then walked forward. He smiled at Jen, and then looked around.

"The hell are you doing out here?" Charlie asked, catching sight of her hand grasped firmly in Jack's.

"Long fucking story, what the hell is going on?"

"Look, all I know is that we were all woken up early this morning. Some kind of shift in the virus… Deb has been calling for you all morning but there were some complications…" He said, glancing around at the sea of people as if to indicate it was something that they couldn't talk about here.

"Charlie let us through." Jen said, motioning to the gate.

"I can't Jen, you've been in contact with the infected."

"Charlie, my first unmasked contact was yesterday. The both of us have had contact with an infected person, and we have not exhibited symptoms in over twelve hours. We're safe."

Charlie eyed her with uneasiness, as if he doubted her. Jen shook her head slightly and sighed, releasing Jack's hand and crossing her arms over her chest. Charlie groaned, inwardly telling himself that he couldn't do this, but he believed her. If there was any person in the world who was in top of infection control, it was Doc Roberts…

He pulled open the short fence that separated them and stepped out of her way.

Jen trotted through the Q-zone, Jack at her heels. She was nearing the mobile unit when she heard gunfire echoing. Jack grabbed her first and they ducked behind the mobile unit. They crouched there by the wheels, looking around to pinpoint where the gunfire was coming from. Jack's gaze shifted to warehouse door where sound had come from. A blood curdling scream emitted from there and more gunfire was heard. The crowd of people gathered at the gate began to scream, and push past the barriers in terror. The CEDA workers were knocked over, as well as the small barricades.

The corpsmen began to fire into the fleeing crowd, mowing bodies down as they ran. Jen screamed as she saw people fall from their wounds, when suddenly she was jerked to her feet. Jack shoved her through the open door of the mobile unit, climbing in after her and shutting the door. He hit the bolt, and ducked down as the sounds of gunfire echoed around them.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Warning. Graphic Language and a steamy scene. LOL**_

* * *

She could still hear the screams in her head, the screams of people being attacked. Jack had saved her life by stuffing her into the mobile unit and locking the door behind them. She could hear the bat of fists on the doors, the pleas of the others outside before the gunfire started. Then, there were the screams of the infected. She remembered peeking her head up, looking out through the tinted glass. She nearly screamed as she saw what had befallen those outside. Gunfire was still being heard throughout the quarantine zone, and she watched as infected poured out of the make shift hospital and attacked the others. Her breath hitched in her chest, but a hand was suddenly over her mouth. She felt Jack's warm breath on her ear and he held her to him and stifled her screams. "We are getting out of here."

She stood there in awe, watching as the infected attacked and began eating the others. Jack climbed into the mobile's driver seat, fumbling his keys out of his pocket and thrusting them into the ignition. She saw him, and then quickly shook her head. "Jack! Wait!" There were no specimens out, but there were other things about. "We don't have time!" He said, starting the engine. She had barely enough time to turn her gaze to the window and see the infected start running for them before Jack shoved the gear home and slammed on the accelerator.

She fell backwards as the vehicle lurched violently forward, skidding on the mobile unit's linoleum flooring. She heard the banging of fists as the infected charged the unit, but they tapered off quickly as he swung the mobile unit through the oncoming horde, running some of them over in the process. Jen sat up, papers flying everywhere as Jack pulled the unit onto the street, plowing down chain-link barricades. He pulled them onto the highway, going westbound out of Savannah. The Eastbound route was clogged with cars, as people flocked to the quarantine zone when all hell began to break loose. The Westbound was not so bad, and they had a clear lane out. Jen screamed weakly as gunfire seemed to chase them. She told herself that it was just her imagination playing tricks on her, but a nagging feeling in her gut led her to believe the she did in fact hear the sounds of bullets hit the unit's siding. Thankfully, as a viral unit that meant it was thoroughly reinforced.

She got to her feet, and stumbled forward to the mobile unit, sitting down on the linoleum as close to the driver's seat as she could get. She looked up at him, seeing for the first time that he was obviously as shaken as she was. She swallowed hard, and pulled her knees to her chest and began to sob quietly.

Jack navigated through the city, following the signs toward the interstate. There were infected rushing them at every turn, and he plowed them over, fighting the urge to vomit as he felt their body's crunch under the wheels. He took the nearest exit ramp, pulling onto the interstate and shifting the trailer into high gear to accelerate. They drove in silence for several hours, until the setting sun painted the sky with gold and purple. Jack sighed, looking at his watch. They would need to find a place to stay for the night, and they would need to decide what their next course of action would be. The strange thing about the interstate today was that there were virtually no cars on the road, only passing a few in the few hours they had been driving.

There was a sign indicating a rest stop, and he pulled over into it. The rest stop was just a few picnic tables and an area with bathrooms and vending machines. It was set off the interstate a bit, and looked deserted… no cars were parked. He pulled up alongside the rest stop, parking vertically so that he took up quite a few parking spaces. If they needed to leave in a hurry he wouldn't have to worry about backing up and putting them into a precarious position. He used the keys and turned off the engine. He debated turning the generator on so that they could have some light other than the dim light of the sun, but decided against it. He turned to Jen, who had herself propped up against the cabinets. She had a far off look in her eyes, the kind of look people get when the lights are on but nobody's there. He climbed out of the driver's seat and sat next to her.

She jumped when he put his arm over her shoulders, turning wild disbelieving eyes to him. He noticed that she was trembling; he pulled her into his arms.

"Jack?" She asked with a quiver in her voice.

"Mhm?"

"This isn't a dream is it?"

He sighed heavily, realizing that he had been asking himself the same question for the last fifty miles. "No angel. I don't think this is a dream." They were silent for a few more moments.

"Tell me that we didn't just steal CEDA's mobile lab…." She said then, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Well, it was either that or…." He trailed off not wanting to think of the alternative.

She sighed, agreeing. She thought of the legal ramifications, and what it would mean to her career briefly before the thoughts of the virus returned to her mind. One thing was for clear; the virus seemed to be causing severe dementia in its victims. She wrinkled her nose, turning her head to the paper work and the mobiles workstations. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute when Jack cleared his throat.

"Look, we are going to need something to eat soon, and water. I think we to go in there…"

Jen cringed, and swallowed hard. She didn't want to leave the safety of the mobile unit, but he was right. They had not eaten since the night before, and she had thrown up most of that. "What if…" she started, and shook his head cutting her off. "There has to be something in here we can use to protect ourselves."

Together they sifted through the cabinets for something they could use for defense. In the end, they found a crowbar, a flare gun, and a few hammers. Jack put a hammer into one back pocket and the flare gun into the other. Handing the second hammer to Jen, he gripped the crowbar and opened the mobile unit's door. The sound of the wilderness behind them was deafening, the eerie stillness sending a feeling down his back as if tiny mice with icy cold feet were running there. Jen gripped her arm tightly, her other hand wrapped around the hammer so tight her knuckles were turning white.

He pulled open the door to the rest area and they were greeted by the gentle hum of refrigeration units. Three vending machines were against the wall, two that dispensed soft drinks the other snacks. Three doorways were in this short hall, one for each gender indicating a restroom, the other seemed to be a maintenance office. Jen squirmed suddenly as the need to urinate hit her, and she looked at Jack.

"I have to pee…"

Jack blinked at her, suddenly perplexed with the idea. "Well, I don't think we should wander off alone." He guided her to the men's room, sticking his head around the corner to make sure it was empty first. Once he had established the coast was clear, she ran to a stall and shut the door a little too hard. He winced, looking over his shoulder to make sure that nobody heard them… All that met him was silence. He decided to take advantage of the situation and also use the restroom and used the urinal.

He finished first, and walked to a sink to wash his hands. His back itched as if someone was watching him, so he kept glancing over his shoulder. As he turned off the water, he looked up into the mirror. He spun around just as the figure growled. "Shit!" He said as the things tongue lashed out and lassoed him, and he grabbed the sink to keep from getting pulled to it. "Help!" He yelled as Jen ran out of the stall. She ran to Jack and shoved him into the sink, forcing the things tongue to go slack. Grabbing the crowbar off the floor she ran to the thing and impaled the crowbar at its throat. A gust of green smoke ejected from the wound she had opened up in its throat, but it grabbed for her. She took a step back, wrenching the crowbar out of its throat and thrust it into its open eye. As the thing crumpled to the floor, she began to choke in the smoke. Jack clapped a hand over his mouth and ran to her, dragging her from the bathroom. Once they were in the hall, she bent over hacking the smoke from her lungs and drawing in great breaths of air.

"What was that?" He asked one hand on her back as she coughed. Jen stood after a few moments with tears streaming from her eyes. "Dunno…" She choked her eyes red from the smoke. "Come on; let's get some stuff and go."

Jack pulled out his hammer and walked to the vending machines, smashing them open with a crash of glass. They both turned around defensively, as it waiting for an attack but none came. It would seem only one lone mutant resided here. As he was gathering up bags of snacks, Jen peeked into the open maintenance office. It was empty, but there was a cot in the corner. She walked to it, and stripped it of its pillow and blanket, gathering them up quickly. As she turned, she noticed that there was a shotgun propped up against a metal locker. "Jack! Come here!"

Jack walked into the office, his arms full of potato chip bags and snack cakes. He opened his mouth to yell at her when he saw what she was pointing at. "Here, we can dump those in the blanket like a sack." She said placing it on the floor and motioning for him to dump them there. They worked quickly, grabbing up all of the vending machine snacks as well as a few dozen bottles of soda and water. When they were done, Jack opened the metal locker. Inside were shotgun shells, a pistol, and a chainsaw. He grabbed the bullets and set them in the blanket too, putting the pistol into his waist band after he had ensured the safety was on. "I'll get that…" He said motioning to the pile of snacks wrapped up in the blanket. She helped him grab it, moving out of the way as he slung it over his back and grabbed the chainsaw. He pointed to the gun, "Grab it and lets go…"

They ran out of the rest stop, and back into the mobile unit. Though it was still quiet, the lesson was learned that quiet does not equal safe. Once the mobile unit door was bolted, they both breathed a sigh of relief. It would take a lot to break into it, as it was heavily reinforced. Silently they stuffed the snacks into the cabinets as well as the bottles of extra drinks they had taken. She giggled suddenly and he turned to her with his eyebrow arched. "I always wanted to smash a vending machine before, for all the times those fuckers stole my money!" He couldn't help but giggle with her as they finished and sat down to a meal of crème filled cupcakes and cheese curls.

She had to have eaten six bags of the cheese curls, her hunger awakening ravenously as she licked the orange powder from her fingers. She frowned, wanting more but knowing her stomach would surely protest if she kept eating. Tossing the last empty bag into the pile they had made near the unit's back door, she looked at Jack who was guzzling down a green soda.

"Jack?"

He burped and then looked at her embarrassedly before answering her with a questioned look.

"I'm sorry… For everything."

He frowned at her. "What on earth do you have to be sorry for?"

"I… feel… I don't know. Responsible…"

She confessed to him, about the true nature of the virus, and about her findings just the day before. "Deb was hiding something, you can bet your ass on it now." She said heatedly, telling him about the other victims she had encountered.

"I can't help but feel responsible… I am part of the research team and I didn't tell anyone."

"Jen, it's not your fault. If they are hiding something, how could you have possibly known…?"

She pondered this, taking another drink from the cola bottle she held.

Jack squirmed uncomfortably in his seat on the linoleum; gazing at her while he mustered all the courage that was within him.

"Jen?"

"Hmm?"

"There's… something I have to get off my chest."

She looked at him suddenly, her eyes trailing over his face as if searching for a sign of what he was about to say. All she could make out in the dying light was that he was blushing furiously.

"Well, I know we've already done this whole, in-case-we-die thing, but I really have to tell you…"

She blinked, waiting for him to finish as he struggled to put together words that seemed reluctant to come out. "Fucking spit it out already."

He smiled, and took a deep breath. "I just have to let you know, that I love you."

She blinked at him again, certain that she had misheard him. "I'm sorry, come again?"

He swallowed before going further. "I said I love you. For the past six years you've been probably the best friend I've ever had. But, ever since I met you at Max and Donna's Christmas party six years ago I've loved you from afar. I've sat here and held your hand through every breakup, all the job bullshit, the promotion that you got and every time I think I am getting closer to being able to tell you how I feel something comes along and screws it up. A new boyfriend, a vacation… what have you? The situation looks grim, and maybe I am not the most handsome guy or the smartest guy… But I have to tell you now that I love you. More than anyone I have ever loved. And even though it was simply because we thought the end was here, last night was probably the best night of my life. I'll die happy. Thank you."

She let the words sink in, pondering it all when he was finished. She had known for a while that his feelings were deeper than friendship, had even waited for him to make a move at a few points but when he didn't she found herself moving on. She was surprised to hear the depths of his emotions, but not completely surprised by his attraction to her. Given the time they could have fallen in love, got married, what have you. But circumstances were against them, and she growled at it.

"Thanks." She said moodily.

"Hey! What'd I do?" He gaped at her with shock, seeing the anger on her pale features even in the nearly dead light of evening.

"For not telling me sooner dipshit! You had to go and spring this on me now, when all this crazy shit is going on! As if I needed one more fucking weight…"

She just stopped, and turned her back to him. She thought of her family, though they were completely insane they still had been her family and she couldn't help but feel sadness and hope wash over her that perhaps they were still alive. "How fucking selfish are you?"

He was not expecting that reaction, the situation in his head played out with her throwing herself at him and him capturing her in a kiss… then moving on to the hibbidy dibbity. Her anger was unwelcomed, and he felt his own rage bubble up. "Fine! Be mad, I don't care. Call me selfish for loving you?"

She turned to him then, crawling over to him and getting in his face. "NO! I call you selfish because you sat there like a coward for six fucking years and didn't say a word and now you wait until there are fucking virus riddled freaks tearing people limb from limb to tell me? Why? Why not just wait another six years?"

They sat there, faces inches apart seething at one another for several long minutes before Jack kissed her hard. She tried to pull away at first, but he grabbed the back of her head firmly and kissed her harder. She stopped for a moment, before returning the angry kiss with her own fire. She pushed him down then, breaking the kiss and straddling him. He fell back against the pillow and blanket they had taken, and looked at her from above him. In one fluid motion she stripped off her shirt, and then leaned in and kissed him again. His hands grabbed up at the clasp of her bra, undoing it quickly. She slid it off them, throwing it to the side. He glanced up at her, her white skin catching the dying light. She almost glowed from it. He rolled her over then, putting himself atop her and pulling his own shirt off. Her hands trailed over the tattoos he had on both arms, before she reached down and began undoing his belt. The both shrugged off their remaining clothing, and he shuddered against her as she bit gently at his neck. Staring down at her, he kissed her one final time, their breath coming in a fevered rush.

"Jen?" He said, aching with anticipation but remaining over motionless. He wanted to see what this was before they really began, the curiosity making his already awake parts stiffen agonizingly.

"Jack?"

"I love you."

She smiled up at him, kissing him and biting his lower lip gently. "I love you too."

With that kiss his reserve broke and he lowered himself against her. She met his thrust, gasping as they began a perfect rhythm. Wrapping her legs around him, she succumbed to something far greater than she had ever felt, and returned his kisses fervently; their bodies rocking together in a sweet symphony. With each movement she felt herself transcending, into what she was most unsure, but the feeling overwhelmed her. When the climax hit, her back arched with it, and she cried out against it as her body succumbed the the rolling wave of bliss that seemed endless. Soon he cried out as well, saying her name softly over and over as he met her on this plateau they had built together.

Afterwards, they lie in each other's arms, panting heavily. The pitch black of night engulfed them, the night eerily still. Jen panted heavily, her body still tingling with electricity. "Wow…" She said, and he chuckled. "Amen…" He echoed as they lay in the stillness of a world engulfed within the talons of chaos.


End file.
